“As Djaara, both our responsibilities to keep Country healthy and the knowledge to do this work are profound and inherited from our Ancestors’ managing Country for over 60,000 years.”
Rodney Carter, Dja Dja Wurrung Group CEO
The community is still experiencing the effects of the extraordinary storms of June and October last year. Country will continue to be scarred for biocultural generations but, with our help, it can regenerate stronger and more sustainably.
We are Djaara (Dja Dja Wurrung People) and we have 60,000 years of inherited lived experience and practical understanding of caring for this Country in central Victoria.
We are applying this deep and intimate knowledge of Country’s needs in the Wombat State Forest. The first step in this process is to listen to Country.
The volume of wind thrown trees still on the ground in the Forest is too great to be beneficial and not wasteful. It must be reduced to allow biodiversity and managed regeneration. It must also be reduced to limit the fuel load as we come into another fire season.
Our partnership with VicForests allows us to direct the removal of these excess trees and ensures that this beautiful resource can be repurposed into cultural objects and provide a range of other benefits to Djaara.
After this process, we will continue to manage this Country through application of Djandak Wi (Cultural Fire), restoration of Gatjin (Water) and application of our principles of Forest Gardening.
We do this to return Country to health so that all who live on Country can also be healthy.
#letuslead #djaara #djadjawurrung
